My 10-year-old son, Brian, is always peppering me with questions I'm too ignorant to answer, such as "If the sky were made of cheese, could we eat it?" or "If hydrogen makes water when it burns, why doesn't it put itself out?"

Just once, I wish he would ask me something easy, such as, "What's the most dependable tree for fall color in the South?" My answer would be short and sweet--Japanese maple.

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) has a lot more going for it than just fall foliage. Its tremendous genetic variability means that dozens of outstanding selections are available, offering a dizzying array of sizes, shapes, and leaf types. Most selections stay small, so almost every yard has room for one. Many also grow slowly, so you seldom have to prune. Moreover, Japanese maples perform superbly in containers and on decks and patios. Finally, even beginners find them easy to grow, and now is a great time to plant.

Japanese Maple Basics
Chances are, you won't have to hunt far to find Japanese maples at your local garden center. Wherever they grow--which is the majority of the South--retailers keep them in stock because homeowners ask for them. But if you're buying your first Japanese maple, you'll want to brush up on some basic information so you can make a wise choice.

The first decision is whether you want a standard type or a laceleaf type (also known as cutleaf or split-leaf). Standard types have leaves divided into relatively broad lobes with shallowly toothed edges. With some exceptions (there are always exceptions with Japanese maples), standard types grow 15 to 20 feet tall and wide with a layered shape similar to that of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida).

Laceleaf types, on the other hand, have feathery leaves divided into narrow lobes with deeply cut edges. These trees typically form dense, cascading mounds, 6 to 8 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, with twisted or contorted branches. They grow more slowly than their counterparts, often less than a foot a year.

Your next decision deals with leaf color. Do you want a red- or green-leaved tree? Both standard and laceleaf types have beautiful selections of both colors.

The foliage of red-leaved trees emerges a glowing red in spring and then usually fades to burgundy-green in summer before turning deep red in fall. The foliage of green-leaved types stays bright green from spring through summer and assumes incandescent shades of scarlet, orange, and yellow in late fall.